Lili Durkin Photographer

Lili is an absolutely phenomenal, gifted photographer - along with a wonderful person. Our wedding taught us that both are almost equally important because it's so important that you and your guests feel comfortable with the person photographing you. Lili was a joy to get to know and we came to see her as a friend. And this was a big step for my husband, who - until meeting Lili - was quite shy and uncomfortable in his picture-taking. During our engagement shoot, he became instantly comfortable, and it shows throughout all the photos Lili took for us (engagement, rehearsal dinner and wedding).This was all a wonderful surprise, because we frankly chose Lili based on her blog (having not met her before). After looking at hundreds of photographers' blogs, she was the only person we contacted because of the beautiful quality of her work and her photojournalistic eye. What we loved about Lili is that her images really reflect the event itself, as opposed to a specific artistic persuasion (there were a few famous photographers we considered until we realized that many of their images looked more or less the same, regardless of the event). Lili is incredibly talented at capturing emotion along with the details and landscape of a wedding. We noticed, looking through her blog, that all her images look beautiful, AND you "get" what that day felt like for the people being photographed.We expected that our images would be gorgeous, but we were stunned by their beauty, along with how well they captured the tone and feeling of our wedding. You can see all of them through Lili's blog (we're Lauren and Vlad, and we have 2 wedding entries and a rehearsal dinner entry). My dad, who used to be a professional photographer, said how you would usually only see one of these amazing images per wedding - and we had hundreds.It's also worth noting that most other photographers we looked at in the Monterey Bay/Napa/SF area are over twice as expensive, and not nearly as talented -- I can only imagine this is because Lili took some time off from photography to have a couple of adorable children. I would hire Lili again even if her prices were twice as much, and strongly recommend having her be a part of your special day.

We've been admiring the enormous file of images from our daughter's wedding and reliving the wonderful weekend that they recorded. What amazes us is how Lili's impressive artistry didn't get in the way of any of the important moments, both planned and spontaneous, which she and her assistant captured exquisitely. We appreciated how congenial yet unobtrusive they were throughout the wedding weekend, and the way they handled challenges with both creativity and grace. We had high expectations from viewing Lili's portfolio, and she exceeded them -- we couldn't be more thrilled with the result. On top of all that, her fees were kind to our budget!

I knew right away that we had to have Lili as our photographer. From looking at the photographs of other weddings on her website, I admired how creative and unique her photographs were. Even so, it was hard to imagine that OUR photographs would look that amazing! You always hear how your wedding day is going to be the best day of your life, and even so, I am touched at how true it is. Lili understands the importance of having the day captured in such a way that is unique to the couple and the day. In addition to the elegant, graceful pictures that were taken, she also put up a photobooth for our guests during the reception that was an absolute hit! The guests loved it, and we loved it - it is so fun to have pictures of our friends and family getting goofy in front of the camera! From the first contact to start conversation about our wedding, to the day the pictures arrived, it was all so easy; how nice to have one aspect of the wedding that is effortless! Even the way the pictures arrived had a special touch. Lili is incredibly talented and will effortlessly show the story of your wedding. I feel so lucky that we had Lili as our photographer and we are so grateful to have cherished pictures of our wedding day.

I can’t say enough about our experience with Lili; she was phenomenal! I found her through an internet search. After looking at her website, I knew I wanted to meet with her. My then fiancé and I met with Lili for a “get to know each other” session. She was warm and friendly and brought some samples of her work. That was it… Lili was our photographer! We were a bit down to the wire on finding a photographer, so we set up our engagement photo shoot asap! I would say that my hubby and I are not naturally comfortable in front of the camera, probably more awkward than anything, but Lili made it so easy. She has such an eye for what she does and was able to set up some amazing shots and make us feel so comfortable. I was even more excited when I got our CD of photos in the mail! I was thrilled with how amazing the photos were! Then came the day of our wedding and Lili did not disappoint! She spent the day with us and felt like part of the family. She captured some of the most amazing photos – shots that I didn’t even know were being taken. The photos we have of our wedding day captured the essence of us. One word… fabulous! Lili is my photographer and I would definitely recommend working with her. In fact, my sister-in-law is getting married in June and is working with Lili; I have booked her for a boudoir photo shoot and one of my girlfriends did too! Thank you, Lili, for capturing our memories and making us look so good!

Lili is one of my sister and brother-in-law’s closest friends and when my husband Rob and I found out that she would be willing to do our wedding, we jumped at the chance. We already knew her to be sweet and kind, and knew that she would be wonderful to work with. She met with us to show us her portfolio. One of the first things we noticed while looking through her photos was what a creative eye she had. Her photos contained some of the most amazing shots we had ever seen and we immediately booked her for our big day. She came to the wedding site to shoot us girls getting ready before the ceremony and it was truly like having another girlfriend there. During the ceremony and reception, we never even knew she was there – she was so unobtrusive, yet she captured the entire day and all of the emotions perfectly. She delivered our proofs to us so quickly and we couldn’t have been happier with the choices of pictures we had! She was even able/willing to accommodate us when we made a special request for a visual treat we had for our guests. Since ordering our prints from her, I can honestly say that we have true pieces of art hanging on our walls now. I have already recommended Lili to one of my friends who was looking for a photographer, and will keep on recommending her! She will capture your special day with warmth, emotion, and grace. Thank you again Lili for capturing and being a part of our day! The Barrow’s love you!

Of all the many beautiful places to get married, my wife and I got married in Hawaii. As much as we tried to create the most beautiful paradise for our wedding, our photographer limited that experience significantly. After encountering such a distasteful experience with our first photographer, we decided to recapture the moment once more in efforts to find those quality shots we were looking for. Lili Durkin's work is incredible! Not only was she able to produce wonderful shots, but she made the entire photo shoot a fun and casual experience. She is very professional, extremely flexible, superbly responsive and exceptionally creative. We would call Lili Durkin back in a heartbeat!

While talking to other photographers, most wanted ME to meet THEIR requests and it became frustrating while trying to find someone to meet my simple requests and budget. I came across Lili while doing an internet search and after the first email with her she was kind enough to meet my budget and requests, no problem. She sent me a portfoilio and agreement right away in the mail and we booked the date. With us being far apart, we communicated mostly over email (I think it was ALL over email actually!) and because she was so consistant and checked in with me time to time I never felt worried about the photography for our day at all. On our wedding day she was on time, sweet, energetic, and gave direction to us and others while taking photos that we had discussed taking ahead of time - which helped to alleviate me from having to worry about rounding everyone up! At our dinner she moved around silently while taking several candid photos and capturing so many great moments. Shortly after our wedding we received a "sneek peak" photo on her blog, followed by more photos and a slideshow which she put to the song we walked into which was a sweet personal touch. Shortly after that she posted all our proofs online where we could view them, then sent them via disc (per my request) to us. EVERYTHING she has done she has added her personal touch to and over delivered. My family and friends can't stop talking about the photos and how well they turned out and how sweet she was. I will recommend her to everyone I know and book her for any future events where I would need her services again. Rhiannon & Tony LaPolla

Lili captured our wedding day with style and grace. She is a true artist and her photographs are wonderful. She is extremely professional and knows photography. If you are searching for an outstanding photographer, Lili Durkin is your gal. Thanks again Lili for our beautiful photographs!

My (new) husband, Jason, and I could not possibly be any happier with how our pictures turned out. She is a true artist. Her work was beautiful and incredibly creative. Her eye for details and capturing the emotions of the day could not be any better. Lili was so easy to work with and did not keep us for long periods of time after the ceremony. We were quickly able to return to the reception and enjoy our evening. She was so unintrusive that we hardly knew she was there, yet our pictures were phenomenal. Lili got us our pictures back very quickly too. I highly recommend Lili Durkin for your wedding or other special event. She is fun, sweet, so talented and really reasonable with her prices. Warm regards,Jason and Shannen ReynoldsMarried May 23, 2009

Lili was great!She met and talked with us to discuss our needs and to share her creative ideas leading up to the wedding. She was very professional in her response time and easy to talk to.Lili caught interesting and touching moments that i was to overwhelmed to see on the day of my wedding, and am happy to see now when I look at my photos!She is a great photographer and a great person, I highly recommend her!felicia

Lili’s professionalism and contemporary story booking only begins to describe her unique artist’s eye. She is a soup to nuts all occasion photographer who graciously has a knack for weddings. My husband Jeff and I talked with several photographers, and reviewed what seemed like hundreds, before booking Lili for our engagement session and BOTH our weddings. It was always my dream to be married in the Santa Clara Mission church and Lili eloquently captured our “I do’s” in two different lights; first at the Mission church and secondly at Nestldown, in Los Gatos. Jeff and I had our dream wedding(s) in every respect and will always be able to reminisce through the diary of pictures from our special day(s), which Lili provided us with.

Lili was wonderful! She worked with us to create a package that fit our needs and budget, and the pictures she took were just incredible. She was so good with my family and took such incredible shots. We also did engagement pictures with her, and she made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera. I recommend her highly!!